Time
for Joy is "the place to be"
by Debbie Thompson
The Episcopal Church Women will sponsor their annual spring retreat, a Time for Joy, on April 24-26, 2009 at Camp Hardtner. The Joy weekend is for young women and promises to be fun, relaxing and an event even better than the one before. It's an awesome weekend, and the staff focus and work hard to make it a very special weekend for each guest.
Time For Joy was conceived by Bishop Hargrove several years ago as a time for young women to be away from the demands of work and family and a time to renew or revive their relationship with Jesus Christ. Bishop MacPherson is an important part of the weekend, and he and Susan MacPherson allocate quality time to the young women in attendance. He's a lot of fun, and it's interesting to get to know the Bishop and Susan, on a personal level in an informal and relaxed setting.
The central concept of the Time For Joy (Jesus, Others, Yourself) weekend centers on providing young women with a time to get away from the pressures of an over-busy life. Once at Camp Hardtner, the message of taking time for oneself and making time for a relationship with God is emphasized.
The weekend is joyful and carefree, with the message that life is our gift from God and that He meant for us to enjoy it! It is a "stop and smell the roses" type of weekend. There are fun activities that have no message, but equally important are the activities that stress the importance of slowing down and enjoying life, and sharing a personal relation with God.
There will be lots of activities, but the emphasis on this weekend is to relax. Taking part in any of the activities is always strictly optional. The participants can sleep, read a book, stay in the bubble bath, or just hang out by the lake if they wish. The porch swing is a favorite of many who attend.
Each candidate is treated as a very special guest! They are given a T-shirt, bubble bath, a hand & foot massage, a goodies bag with all kinds of neat items inside, a gift basket, a dish garden and a group photo. Each woman will experience God's love and healing in different ways and this weekend basically provides the opportunity for this to happen.
Applications have already
been sent to each parish in the diocese, with the request that they send one
or two women who will benefit from a weekend away from the stress and strain
of their lives, to be nurtured and given the message that life truly
